Jewish Genealogical Society

Contact
Hazel Boon
Your first time with us is gratis. We ask a $5 donation for future visits which will be applied to membership in the same calendar year should you choose to join JGSH.
905-524-3345
jgshamilton@gmail.com
http://www.jgsh.org

Genealogical Research in the Austro-Hungarian Empire Presented by Henry Wellisch http://www.jgsh.org/Events.php?ITEM=3

Henry Wellisch was born in Vienna in 1922. In 1940, he and his parents left on an "illegal" transport to Palestine. The ship was apprehended by the British and its passengers deported to Mauritius where they were detained for the duration of the War. In 1944, Henry volunteered for the Jewish Brigade and served in Western Europe. The Mauritius refugees were allowed to enter Palestine and, in 1948, Henry served with the Israeli army during the 1948 War of Independence.

Since 1951, Henry has lived in Canada and was for many years a civil engineering technologist. About 18 years ago, he began to research his family background; he was able to trace his family back to the middle of the 18th century and has since established contact with long-lost relatives in many countries.

Henry joined the Jewish Genealogical Society of Canada (Toronto) in 1989. He was Editor of their newsletter, Shem Tov, for several years and President from 1993 to 1998. He has presented to different groups on various genealogical and historical subjects. Henry was a speaker at the 1999 seminar in New York and at the the 2008 International Conference in Chicago. He has published numerous articles and contributed to several websites.